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Show 112 TilE ULY Al'i'D TTIE TOTE~L stol"ies of iL'i fruitl:! and flowers; of its bland airs, so friendly to tho invalid i of its delicious fountains, in which healing and joy lay together in sweet communion. It was the region in which, according to tradition, life enjoyed not only an exqui~ite, but an extended tenure, almost equnlling that of the nntcdilul'inn ages. lts genial ntmospl1ere wa.s supposed to possess properties p:trticu~ larly favorable to the prolongation of human life. Laudonnicre !Jimsclf tells us of natives whom he had seen who were certainly more than two lnmdred and fifty years old, and yet, who cntcrtnined a reasonable hope of living fifty or o. hundred years longer. These may have been exaggerations, but they arc such ns the human imagination Jo,·cs to indulge in. But there was comparative truth in the assertion. Porlions of the Floridian territory nrc, to this day, known to be favorable to health and longevity in a far greater degree than r<'gions in other respects more f:lvored; and, in tho temperate habit111 the hardy cxercis<!s, the simple lives of the rcd~mcn, unvexcd by cares and nnxicties, and unsubdued by toils, they probnbly realized many of the alleged blessings of a. golden age. But the attractions of this region were not estimated only with respect to attrn.ctions such ns these. The fountains of the marvellous wl1ich had been opened by the great discoverers, Columbus nod Cortes, Dalbo& and Pizarro, were not to bo quickly closed. Tho paogion for ad\·cnturc, in the exploration of new countries, mo.do men easy of belief; and any nUmber of emigrants weru prepared to accompany our second Huguenot expedition. The armament of L'ludonniero was ready for sea, and sailed from France on tho 22d April, 1564.• A voyage of two months brought the voy~ • Jt\\U muchauperiortothatorigillnlly!K'nt out with Hibau\t. lui donna dC'• ouvricrj ha'Ji]C!.t da.ns taus le:1 urt~. &c. "On l13 a,;;crs to the shorc!4 of Nc'v France, which they reached the 23th of June, LJ64. The land made was very nearly in tho same latitude as in the former exp.C!dition. It was a favorable pe. iod fur seeing tl1e country in all its natuml lo,•clinC8S; and tl,c d<!light of the voyagers n1ny be imagined, when, at l\lay }{i,·er, they found thcmsch·cs welcomed by the Indians, such of tho wJ,ites prnticularly ns were recognized to ha,•o been of th" sqmuhon of Hibault. The savages hailed them as personal flieuds and old acqu:aiutnnces. When they landed, they were eagerly sun·oundcd Ly the simple and delighted natives, men and womcu, and conducted, with grcnt ceremonials, to the spot where Ribault had set up a stone column, with the arms of France," upon a little! snndie knappe, not far from the mouth of the sa.id ri,•er." It was with a pleased surprise that Laudonniere found tho pillar encircled nnd crowned with wreaths of bay and laurel, with which the aff ~ctionatc rcd~mcn had dressed tho stone, in proof of the interest wl,ich they had taken in this imposing memorial of their intercourse with the white strangers. Tho foot of the pillar was surrounded by little baskets of maize nnd beans ; and these were brought in :tbundancc, in token of their welcome, and yielded by these generous sons of th13 forest to their new \'isitors, nt the foot of the pillar which they had thus consecrated to their former f1icndship. They kissed tho column, and made the French do likewise. Their Paracouuy, or king, was named Satouriova, tho oldest of whoso sons, named Atbore, ... que utilitll d:~.n s unc colonie naisu.nte. Qn<~ntilll de jeune gent de fa. mille, et plusien gentil~homm\!9 \'Ouiurent faire ce voyage tl hwrr dlpt1u, et on y jnL:noit de~ dllt~.;hrnPn s dl! &old at~ choi-ll! d3n~ •le vicux corps. L'.lldmirlll f'Ut JOin 1urtout gu'il n1y liLt lli!CI<II Cllthulitpi.l dun1 cd u.r~ mamcnt." |